I was there the night Peter announced his future occupation: Chinese-food delivery man.

The boys were in grade school and I was watching them grow up before my eyes. Mark was the serious one, Eric the brainy one, and Peter the… future delivery driver? My brother, Peter’s father, had ordered takeout to the house and we’d waited (and waited, waited), with that palpable kind of anticipation specific to Chinese delivery. When the doorbell finally rang we nearly fainted with relief—and happiness. Peter jumped up and down with excitement, and the adults were close to joining him. That’s when Peter, with total sincerity, said he wanted to deliver Chinese food when he grew up.

Trying not to laugh, I asked him why.

Peter gave the perfect answer.

And then he spent his life making good on that answer. Not through Chinese food, but instead with his performing, and through the smiles and laughter he delivered in public and in private. “Because,” he said to us that night, “I want to make people happy.”

The next time you order Chinese takeout, from eggroll to fortune cookie, please think of Peter the way I do. I guarantee you’ll smile.

This photo was taken during an improv festival after-party at a bar. That night, I found a chalkboard in the bar and thought it would be fun to write "for pizza, call (and then Pete's phone number." Sure enough, someone called the number within a couple minutes. Without missing a beat, Pete answered the phone and said "Dominoes." Our friends couldn't stop laughing. 

At some point that night, we fit way too many people into a photo booth. He's all the way in the back. This is how I'll remember Pete: constantly surrounded by people who absolutely loved him. 

Pete was just such a funny, kind, positive person. Some of my favorite memories:
- Performing improv in Oslo, exploring the city, and jumping in an ice cold fjord together 
- A silly improvised rap the BUMP crew did honoring Pete and his fungus riddled shoes
- Giving him rides home after improv practice when we just talked about life in general
- Working with him to create and make a Game of Thrones parody music video called “We walk the white way” - https://youtu.be/8H11TUz_LPo

Pete visited me while I babysat two young children, a toddler and a preschooler, who were students at the school I worked at. We all played together and then headed to the swings. Every kid who went to those swings had one mission and one mission only: touch the tree. This tree looked close and easy to reach. However, you actually started swinging and quickly felt that it was miles away and that you would fall and crash from a dizzying height. Pete began swinging and gaining some height. Slowly, a silence fell among the other three as we watched Pete go higher and higher. "Impossible", I thought. I turned to look at the little girl as her mouth fell open in absolute awe. All of a sudden, BOINK!...Pete touched the tree. He did the impossible and became a playground legend. The kids now ignored the ice cream I had brought and only wanted to play with the G.O.A.T. That was Pete... so casually cool at doing the crazy impossible tasks.